Of ideologues and identity politics.

People vote for those candidates and campaigns with which they can associate. This familiarisation gives them an illusory hope for representation in the political scene. In Pakistan voting on the basis of identity had formalised itself as a norm, however, last year, after decades of familiarisation with dominant identities, people voted for a populist leader whose two-decade long political campaign has urged the people to rethink the ubiquitous status quo and understand the grievances that sustain it.

But looking at identities closely, one realises that what essentially perpetuates the use of these is the protection of an ideologue. ?

These ideologues are interpreted as self-identifying governable, norms and values, which ensure that an ethnic or religious group is kept intact. In Pakistan, a number of pre-Partition ideologues have managed to breathe through the gaping holes, under coarse, white-wash of fragmented nationalism that has plastered much of history. There are a number of religious as well as ethnic minority groups who govern their ideologues under outfits that fit, yet the greater nationalist narrative has been unable to fit them all under the same umbrella.

The state of Pakistan was created primarily by Muslims so that they could practice their religion (the individual), and take part in the mainstream political system (the nationalist). Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the father of the nation, upon the declaration of a separate homeland proclaimed 'You are free; you are free to go to your temples. You are free to go to your mosques or to any other places of worship in this State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion, caste or creed-that has nothing to do with the business of the state.'

A sentiment that resonated with millions across the world. However, this idea of separate identities hasn't boded well for the state and we see a country where the communal experience of each grouping; be it on the basis of religious, ethnic, socio-economic distinctions, is much different than the rest. The idea of the individual and the nationalist; the translation of what is held by one and can be shared amongst many as a prominent ideologue never completely materialised. Nor has this transition been identified as significant. Therefore, we have brands of people across varying spectrums of these distinctions with which they identify themselves and use the political agencies to gain relevance in the mainstream political system. This particularly...